Coin trays



22, 1961 J. M. DA PRATO 2,997,201

COIN TRAYS Filed Nov. 10, 1958 INVENTOR. uzmw /1 a. P.enra

United States Patent 2,997,201 COIN 'IRAYS Joseph M. Da Prato, 58 Industrial Rond, Addison, Ill. Filed Nov. 10, 1958, S61. No. 773,058 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-97) My invention relates to coin trays and more particularly relates to coin trays for use in holding, transporting and storing wrapped coin packages.

In banks, supermarkets and other places where a large number of coins are used, the coins are usually wrapped in rolls for ready handling. 'Dhe rolls of coins must be transported and stored and coin trays which hold several rolls of coins are used for this purpose. For example, in banks, coins are stored in the vault in the trays and are transported to the cashir windows at the opening of business and are returned to the vault at the close of the business day. Since there are several denominaons of coins used, and since fairly large quantities of coins are needed, several coin trays are usually transported at one time, generally by being carried. To enable a cashier to carry several trays, the trays are usnally piled one on top of another.

A large number of trays must =be used in any place of business and, therefore, the trays must be relatively inexpensive and yet they must be strong and well constructed t0 withstand abusive use. Since several coin trays are usually carried together in a stacked condition and since each coin tray is quite =heavy, it is extremely important that the entire assembly -can be carried about as a unit Without the danger of the individual boxes falling ofi.

In the past, var-ions types of coin trays have been pro posed but these have generally been of elaborate and therefore expensive construction. Also, the prior -art trays are subject to the danger of having one or more trays fall from the stacked array since no provision was made for positive interlocking between adjacent trays. According ly, an object of my invention is to provide a coin tray which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Another object of my invention is to provide coin trays having positive interlocking action when the trays are stacked one with the other. A further object is to provide a coin tray which can -he manufactured by simple machine operations and have positive locking means for interconnecting stacked trays.

Ihese and other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent as this description proceeds and is read in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of two of my coin trays in stacked interlocking engagement.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 showing the bottom tray in section.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1 showing the trays in stacked interlocking engagement.

FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a pair of my coin trays generally designated which are generally of rectangular construction and are adapted to receive and hold wrapped rolls of coins 12. It will be appreciated that the coin rolls are of several denominaons and sizes.

The coin trays are made from a single blank of sheet metal and are formed into a box-like rectangular configuration by any conventional method. Tray 10 is provided with -a bottom wall 14 having side walls 16 and 18 formed integrally with bottom 14 and extending upwardly at right angles therefrom. End walls 20 and 22 extend upwardly from bottom 14, a distance substantially greater than side walls 16 and 18. A horizontal fiange 24 extends inwardly from end walls 20 and 22 in a plane horizontal to bottom 14.

Considering now the novel interlockng engagement which is provided between adjacent trays, each coin tray 10 has a pin 26 secured to fiange 24 at the central point thereof as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Pin 26 is provided with an enlarged head 28 and a shank 30 having a lesser diameter than head 28-. Pin 26 :is secured to flange 24 by riveting, Welding or any other conventional means. It should be appreciated that head 28 is spaced from flange 24, a distance slightly greater than the thickness of bottom 14 of tray 10.

At each end of bottom 14, an elongated key slot 32 is provided. (Sec FIG. 1.) Key slot 32 comprises an enlarged ciroular opening 34 which has a diameter greater than the diameter of head 28 of pin 26 and an elongated slot 36 which has a width slightly greater than the diameter of shank 30 of pin 26 and a length several times the diameter of shank 30 of pin 26. Elongated slot 36 terminates -at approximately the center line of tray 10.

Thus it will be seen that tray 10 is of simple economic construction and a single tray may readily be used to handle and transport wrapped coin rolls. Ihe sides and ends of the tray retain the coin rolls within the tray and the interlocking arrangement hereinbefore described will not interfere with the use of the tray.

When it is desired to staok one tray onto another, the circular openings 34 of key slot 32 are placed over the heads 28 oct pins 26 of the lower tray and pins 26 will pass through oircular openings 34. The upper tray is then moved sideways so that shank 30 of pins 26 enter elongated slots 36 of key slots 32. The upper tray is moved until shanks 30 engage the ends of elongated slots 36 so that the upper and lower trays are vertically aligned. In this position, -as best seen from FIG. 3, heads 28 of pins 26 engage the upper surface of bottom 14 so that the upper and lower trays are positively locked together. Elongated slot 32 is of substantial length so that normal sideways displacement of either tray will not disengage the positive locking action.

When it is desired to release the interlocking engagement between the trays, the upper tray is moved sideways until pins 26 of the bottom tray are disposed in circular openings 34 of the upper tray and then the upper tray is lifted froc.

From the ioregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a coin tray which is simple and economic in construction and provides positive interlocking engagement between stacked coin trays. It will be obvious to those skflled in the art that the device is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claim.

I claim:

A coin tray comprising a bottom wall, two side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, two end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall and terminafing a substantial distance above the top of said side walls, the upper marginal ends of said end walls being inturned to provide flanges parallel with said bottom wall, said bottom wall having a key slot therein underly- Patented Aug. 22, 1961- ing' each of said fianges and compmfising a large opening said shank being greater than the thickness of said hotand an adjacent elongated slot, said elongated slot extom wa1l.

tending from said opening parallel to said end walls, each of said fianges havng a pin extendimg upwardly therefrom Reeflms Cited in the file of this Paent direcfly over the elongated slot portion of said key slot, 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS each of said pins having a head portion smaller than said large opening but larger than the Widt-h of said elongated 814,178 Waters Mar. 6, 1906 slot, said pins e ach also having a shank between the head 1,488,025 Poynter M ar. 25, 1924 and the correspondng flange, said shank being smaller 2,386,343 Regenh-ardt Oct. 9, 1945 than the width of said elongated slot, and the length of 10 2,636,633 Carlson Apr. 28, 1953 

